Ranger Up tackles Civil Discourse in Veterans Day video

Now I should note up front that I am friends with Nick Palmisciano here (and we are both die-hard fans of a certain 8-1 football team that wins Super Bowls like most people win coin flips) and I know Tim, so I'm obviously somewhat prejudiced. Nonetheless, a good article from Task and Purpose talked about the video:

"This is the most contentious political climate of my lifetime," Nick Palmisciano, the CEO and Founder of Ranger Up, and a former Army infantry officer said of the decision to create the video, titled Lead the Way.

"And while there is nothing wrong with passionate differences in desired policy, we've got powerful people calling on social media and traditional media for Civil War, the dissolution of many constitutional rights, and generally [vilifying] people who share differing opinions. I don't think that's who we are as Americans, and I don't think that's really who we want to be either. The idea of this campaign is to remind veterans of different political persuasions that we all wore the same uniform, did the same jobs, and loved each other unequivocally."

The video was produced by Palmisciano and Tim Kennedy, a former UFC fighter and Army Green Beret, and is part of an effort by Ranger Up to encourage veterans to take a leadership role in creating a more civil discourse leading up to this year's Veterans Day.

"We're supposed to be tough men and women who have gone through a lot of things. We were taught to control emotion and use training and logic to solve problems in the worst situations," Kennedy said in a recent statement. "There is nothing scary about being a decent human being and having a conversation, so why do we allow ourselves to degrade others. I'm personally a passionate supporter of the 2nd Amendment, and yet I've sat down with people who don't understand or appreciate gun rights and had really pleasant conversations. I've taken flak for it, but it was the right thing to do. I look forward to taking flak for this is well."

It doesn't matter what post I put up here, on every Thursday I am guaranteed when the Online Update goes out with a link to it that I am going to get tons of comments that I have to filter through. And I only post about 50% of them, because regardless of the topic the comments are going to be people either bashing the President or bashing the other side of the aisle. Even on articles that have nothing to do with politics. And then someone else will chime in saying how they've been a member for 20+ years and they are not renewing because there are too many righties/lefties in the Legion and that side is evil and wrong.

And it makes me sad. When I post something about our military working dogs serving on the raid to take down Baghdadi I shouldn't have to wade through 8 tons of comments bashing heel spur deferments or Nancy Pelosi. Ranger Up understands that this is a dengerous time for all of us, and I love this video. I'm sure some will dislike it for that very reason, but I don't understand why we can't all just agree to disagree. I can't even post things tangentially related to politics on my own Facebook page without people complaining. When did this happen to us?

Sort of reminds me of something that happened in Afghanistan with a friend of mine. He was in a guard tower with me one day and went all in on Global Warming discussions. I didn't know enough to cogently argue with him, so I did what I thought I should do, ordered a bunch of books off Amazon and read both sides. The next time we were in a tower together I brought it up and told him I was ready to discuss it. He just started laughing at me and said "I was just messing with you, I don't actually care either way, I just wanted to see how fired up I could get you."

Now he's a close friend and even he liked throwing rhetorical grenades into the room. But at the end of the day, he and I are still brothers, as everyone who served was my brother or sister. It's time we all try to remember that.

It is a shame how easily some of our members fall into this Russian trap. The Russian troll farms get everyone that takes the bait all worked up. Civil war? Putin would love that! Anything that makes America weaker makes Russia stronger. Divide and conquer. Right now we have a president that furthers Russian interests to America’s detriment. Even without any (proven) collusion, they interfered in our election to help Trump. Any sane person should ask why. The call is for civil discourse not civil war. Anyone calling for civil war should take some psych meds and get some counseling. This is not a football game. This is real life.

It is a shame how easily some of our members fall into this Russian trap. The Russian troll farms get everyone that takes the bait all worked up. Civil war? Putin would love that! Anything that makes America weaker makes Russia stronger. Divide and conquer. Right now we have a president that furthers Russian interests to America’s detriment. Even without any (proven) collusion, they interfered in our election to help Trump. Any sane person should ask why. The call is for civil discourse not civil war. Anyone calling for civil war should take some psych meds and get some counseling. This is not a football game. This is real life.

Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Our government is filled with deceptive leadership, I don't care if you call it a Democrat or Republican. Our country is now at odds, created by power grabbing elitists at city, county, state and federal levels. Our freedoms are disappearing and our abilities to communicate are disappearing at light speed. Our nation is heading for a place we do not want to go, and yet our leadership, on both sides, are hell bent on destroying America, because that"s what corrupted power does. We the people have no voice, it is being silenced. There will be no agreement in the next election, regardless of who wins. it will only divide us even further. I see no leadership on either side that will be capable of putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. The USA is now in a race to the bottom of the barrel. I can't believe it's happening!

I pray that we do not as a country have to go down this road. BUT, the only way in my humble opinion to avoid it is for us, the American people, to stand up and say enough. Unfortunately, I do not believe that there are enough of us ready to do so. Too many are just worried about themselves. It sickens me that so many of our brothers and sisters are amongst those numbers.

I pray for the best and prepare for the worst. I will not kneel in the face of oppression but will fight it to my last breath. Just as our forefathers did. I am a free man and will NEVER allow another to take the reins and control me nor my future nor that of any that I love.

I am tired of the majority of the Democrats and a number of the Republicans because they are nothing but parasites living off the American lifeblood of the citizenry. Although many hate or dislike Trump just as many love and like Trump, there are things about him that I do not like. There are actions that he has taken over his lifetime that I do not and cannot condone. BUT, he is probably the one of the VERY few statesmen that we have seen in our lifetimes. Look up the term. Our forefathers were statesmen, they put the well-being of our country before that of there own.

Many will balk at this next statement because I am going to name the last three that I believe we have be fortunate enough to have had in the WH. Get ready....

Kennedy, Reagan and Trump... all three put their love of our country before themselves. They all had/have the courage of their convictions and refuse(d) to compromise on them.

Before anyone loses their minds, especially about the first two, do your homework. Their economic, domestic and foreign policies were almost identical. I have proven this on more than one occassion including in blowing my political science professor out of the water when he tried to argue the point with me. I won the argument (debate) in front of fellow classmates and faculty to include the dean of the college. Just so you know, he had his PhD. I can prove those arguments. Unless we as the citizens of this country can elect more statesmen(women) into the leadership positions of our country, I unfortunately believe that either we WILL end up in another civil war OR our great country will die. Just as the Roman empire did, just the the Egyptian empire, the Incas, the Mayans and just as the once massive United Kingdom almost did. (Not to mention the fall of the communist regime of the USSR.) With the moral and ethical decay of our country being pushed in the name of being progressive or, in other words, liberalism we are quickly following in their footsteps. (The decadence of Roman is what destroyed it.)

I know that some of my conservative peers on here may differ slightly on some of my views. I also know that I just really infuriated many of the liberals on here. I really don't care. Although I am a registered Republican, I am actually a Libertarian in the truest form. Believe me, don't believe me. I don't care. Just do me one favor, honor this one wish... Before you lose your mind and go stark raving mad about any of what I said... EDUCATE YOURSELF!!! DON'T DRINK THE KOOLAID!!! DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK UTILIZING MULTIPLE SOURCES INCLUDING THOSE OF DIFFERING VIEWS!!! ONLY A FOOL EATS WHATEVER HE IS GIVEN BY A POTENTIAL ENEMY OR AN INDIVIDUAL WITH UNKNOW INTENT!!!

With all of this said, I leave all of you with a prayer that all of our children and grandchildren and theirs to follow live in peace and freedom free from the shackles of tyranny and fear. That we as a great nation can come together and save the country that we all love before we allow ourselves and others to brutally slaughter what we and our forebearers' sacrificed so much to protect. God bless all of you and our great nation.

I am extremely passionate about my political beliefs and feelings and I can get heated up, but I try to only allow that around people who are close to me. That way I don’t ruin a friendship or relationship. I also want to point out that I have some very close friends who are at the opposite end of my political beliefs and feelings. In spite of that we do have political discussions and we even pick at each other about political issues and politics. I will say this, we have some real nuts out there on both sides that nobody from the opposing side to them can or will ever be able to have a rational discussion with as far as politics are concerned. But calling for civil war or any type of violence against the people who oppose you is not the answer and no way for mature people to handle any issue. Our politicians that are in office and making these comments should be ashamed and removed from office and held accountable for the uncouth statements they have and are making, I mean both sides. I didn’t serve my country, nor did my brothers and sisters who served, serve or die for a bunch losers like we have holding offices in Washington to turn our country into a socialist country. These people are only serving in office for what they can do for themselves not for us. In the military, no matter what branch everybody is or becomes selfless. You learn and are there to put others before your self. The majority of the clowns we have in Washington are not selfless nor ever will be.

While this video certainly addresses the issue, let's look at the real facts. We'll call it Civics 101. For a Democracy to work, two things have to be understood and present, one is a basic understanding of government and how it works and secondly that we vote logically and with our interests. It's obvious a certainly inordinate number of veterans neither know the way government operates nor do they vote for their own interests. This applies to those who continue to support the current president that has on numerous occasions violated the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution and now with only initial testimony by no less then 8 government officials including two decorated former and current military members that the President committed Bribery, a clear and pointed crime listed under Impeachment in Article II. Every military member as well as almost every other federal employee swears an oath not to any man or political or government official, either elected or appointed. We all swear an oath to the Constitution, "to defend and support against foreign and domestic enemies". Our own allegiance to those officers appointed above us is that they too support and defend the Constitution and carry their Lawful Orders. I served 24 years during the Cold War fighting Soviet Communism which included the KGB. Today, our President is best friends with a former KGB Colonel named Putin for whom trump does his bidding by withholding military aid to Ukraine, turning a blind eye to their aggression in Syria and questioning the value of NATO, an alliance over 70 years old designed to block Russian expansion. Trump does this because of his avarice for greater financial gain at the expense of our Nation. Trump IS that domestic enemy as defined by our oath and should be removed. Unfortunately he has Russophiles in the GOP controlled US Senate that 5 years ago considered Russia an adversary but due to a severe lack of backbone will not stand up and do their Constitutional duties. They are failing to do their duties in not protecting the American people.

The second part here is that any veteran that supports trump is disrespecting their service and their fellow Vets. Please tell me how you support a president who disrespected Senator and former Captain John McCain, a decorated war hero or disrespected Gold Star families or never served by getting 5 deferments for "bone spurs' or illegally misappropriated DOD funds stipulated by Congress (please read Article I) to build a wall congress intentionally refused to fund. Or maybe the tone of his administration to deport non-citizen Veterans that served this nation with honor or integrity. How do justify your support of a man who lied about donating funds ti a veteran's group and it never happened or whose administration is now civilianizing the VA and thus the service has actually gotten much worse.

If you still support trump after all I have listed then you're uneducated or a white racist, voting your hate and not what's best for your country and hating so bad that you put that before Country and your fellow Vets.

While this video certainly addresses the issue, let's look at the real facts. We'll call it Civics 101. For a Democracy to work, two things have to be understood and present, one is a basic understanding of government and how it works and secondly that we vote logically and with our interests. It's obvious a certainly inordinate number of veterans neither know the way government operates nor do they vote for their own interests. This applies to those who continue to support the current president that has on numerous occasions violated the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution and now with only initial testimony by no less then 8 government officials including two decorated former and current military members that the President committed Bribery, a clear and pointed crime listed under Impeachment in Article II. Every military member as well as almost every other federal employee swears an oath not to any man or political or government official, either elected or appointed. We all swear an oath to the Constitution, "to defend and support against foreign and domestic enemies". Our own allegiance to those officers appointed above us is that they too support and defend the Constitution and carry their Lawful Orders. I served 24 years during the Cold War fighting Soviet Communism which included the KGB. Today, our President is best friends with a former KGB Colonel named Putin for whom trump does his bidding by withholding military aid to Ukraine, turning a blind eye to their aggression in Syria and questioning the value of NATO, an alliance over 70 years old designed to block Russian expansion. Trump does this because of his avarice for greater financial gain at the expense of our Nation. Trump IS that domestic enemy as defined by our oath and should be removed. Unfortunately he has Russophiles in the GOP controlled US Senate that 5 years ago considered Russia an adversary but due to a severe lack of backbone will not stand up and do their Constitutional duties. They are failing to do their duties in not protecting the American people.

The second part here is that any veteran that supports trump is disrespecting their service and their fellow Vets. Please tell me how you support a president who disrespected Senator and former Captain John McCain, a decorated war hero or disrespected Gold Star families or never served by getting 5 deferments for "bone spurs' or illegally misappropriated DOD funds stipulated by Congress (please read Article I) to build a wall congress intentionally refused to fund. Or maybe the tone of his administration to deport non-citizen Veterans that served this nation with honor or integrity. How do justify your support of a man who lied about donating funds ti a veteran's group and it never happened or whose administration is now civilianizing the VA and thus the service has actually gotten much worse.

If you still support trump after all I have listed then you're uneducated or a white racist, voting your hate and not what's best for your country and hating so bad that you put that before Country and your fellow Vets.

You have no idea what you're talking about... I'm guessing that you're just trolling...

Trump has done better for any foreign policy than any of our last 4 Presidents... for America that is...

And please name his violations of the Emoluments Clause... lol...

The only hate I see anywhere comes from people that are being incited by the media... the leftist media... and it's leftists that are showing hate. Votes for the left are the ones without knowledge behind them... take a classic example like Obama... He was a senator for only 2 years, and before that not ever part of the government. Once people found out about him, they found out that his Grandparents hated the USA... His mother hated the USA... His father hated the USA... And what he was doing showed that he hated the USA... and although everything Obama did for 8 years hurt our economy and put a once closing rift back into the racial divide back in this country... the media and elites continued to praise him...

And as for McCain... I've heard a lot worse said about him from many WW2 vets... Who do you think nicknamed him "songbird" ?? Get your head on straight and stop parroting things from the hateful leftist media, like "bone spurs", etc.

Chuck Roloff, you are correct about the young people who think socialism is a great idea. We have permitted such ideas to flourish by allowing our elected officials to rewrite history and teach that history in our schools.

Parents have tried to make life "easier" for their children without teaching them the value of hard work, and by telling them that they are "special" even though they have done nothing to be special.

Politicians have told the same lies until people now believe that the politician has the answer to everything, and the power to make everything Utopia. Even now they continue to disregard the fundamental laws that were created to make this country great.

Look at what they have done by not enforcing the immigration laws that are on the books.

Look at their desire to release lawbreakers from prison because they committed a "non-violent crime" such as selling illegal drugs.

Look at the fact that if they don't like us or our ideas, they will tax us until we become quiet.

I am not a combat veteran, but did serve in the Army. It dismays me to see what is going on in this country today, and it is why I voted for Mr. Trump. At least he is trying to right the ship so to speak.
They will not silence me. They will not take my guns without a fight. And finally, I will not stand by and allow them to take my country without a fight.

Call me a cynic but I think it is too late. Civic Discourse is DEAD thanks to Trump's tweets and constant whining and lying. You want to restore civility? IMPEACH this odious Draft-Dodger and "Agnew" his sycophant Pence and replace them with some REAL Republicans like William Weld for P.O.T.U.S. and John Thune as Veep! I do NOT believe that all of these Trumpkin-Bumpkins are ACTUAL Vets!! Most are trolls and Putin-Putos like Trump! Many are PAID Russian Agents like that Ruskie woman who used the N.R.A. like toilet-paper to further Putin's . As an ACTUAL Disabled Marine Veteran I cannot see how any REAL Veteran would support a Draft-Dodger who Publicly ATTACKED an Honest-To-God War HERO like the late and much-missed Senator John McCain!! He may have been a swabbie and I disagreed with him on many points but WE shared a True Love Of Country Before Party!! And if you support trump then you , like Putin, are a hidden supporter of The Communist Party!! Semper Fi!

A partisan Grand Jury? Every one of the supposed Grand Jury Members were chosen because they were all viciously ANTI TRUMP. M's Hall's stated support for the US Constitution and Bill of Rights
was not apparent in this tragic false impeachment fiasco. President Troump was already presumed to be guilty. The Democrat pacipitants were just trying to gather enough wool to cover the eyes of us poor, ignorant, gullible US Citizens!

I took an oath (6 times) to support and defend the constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Although I’m now retired from military service, I took that oath seriously both then and now. As long as those who I disagree with on politics/policy adhere to that same principal, I’m on-board with civil discourse. Otherwise, not so much.

The fact is people with half a brain and love their country always do the right thing unfortunately the left always hate anything American and honest an only does the right thing when forced, when forced. You cant expect criminals to stay in jail if no one is willing to make sure they do.

Great thought. But it will never work with the hard corp Democrats. I thought we fought against communism in Korea and Vietnam. I be damed if i am going to become ruled by communist Democrats There is no life under their totalitarian rule that i will abide by. They can’t be persuaded by talking, just look what the Democrats are doing to the rule of law and the constitution. Didn’t we swear an oath to it?

It remains a fact that the majority of voter age adults do no care about our history. As humans since 1500 we are not held accountable for stealing North, Central and South America by force, deceit and disease.Then you kill each other in the Civil War, then you rape the Phillipines and Hawaii, you allow Democrats and Republicans to behave like assholes, you all are professional finger pointers full of yourselves as if America is perfect with no blood on your hands. I suggust you look in the mirror of your pathetic past and present. Pride and shame soil the greatest flag in world history. The greatest President in U.S. history yet 1/2 of the people are acting like 5 year old brats who need a spanking.

Amen brother. I am trying but it just seems like most dont want to have a civil arguement and disagree. I am going to keep trying or one day my kids are going to wake up and wonder what happened to all there civil rights. Or maybe even I will still be around and say the same thing.

Were we in another military, I was never a democrat or a republican. I was an american soldier. I was trained to protect my country and I repected my brothers no matter their color. You speak of firing on your brothers, I would rather die than harm my brothers. Talk of civil war is hate. The soldiers I served with loved america, all of america. The soldiers I served with would never put children in cages, they loved. Be a solder, love your brother.

In 1993 - Bill Clinton delivers a one-two punch to the USA Manufacturing, the core our country's wealth (any countries wealth)... He does this by enacting NAFTA, and then making the WTO allow China into it's midst. From that day until Trump takes office over 57,000 manufacturing plants will close in the USA. Most lost to China manufacturing.

Exactly 10 years after Bush Sr's "New World Order" speech, we have the attack on the Twin Towers. Bush Jr. doesn't rebuild the towers which should have been done to "not admit defeat" instead starts a campaign to remove Habeas Corpus, and succeeds in 2006. Keeps the country in several wars that he says stemmed from 9/11 but the countries we're fighting have nothing to do with the crime.

Our media stops asking the hard questions, does nothing for research. And in 2008 we end up getting sold by the media a new leader who only has 2 years in a government position and no one really knows. Enter Obama, who starts dismantling our country further stopping us from producing our own energy making prices skyrocket, enacting laws that cost the country billions, create new identity groups and fuels the hate for the USA and racial divide. Bloats government organizations with jobs. Increases welfare demand and availability to non-citizens. More men die in wars under him then under Bush... By time Obama's done over half the citizens of the country receives some kind of payment from the government. Not counting the illegal aliens receiving benefits.

Now enter Trump. He gets the country back going again, removes some unconstitutional laws, fixes the VA hospitals, gets us producing our own energy again, fixes trade laws, gets us out of wars... Increases the basic household wealth by 6000 dollars a year, and adds over 8 trillion in wealth to the USA, and the swamp dwellers in government and media are trying to run him out of the country on a rail... Does this really seem right to any of you? It's not...

The Democrats are no longer an American valued party. The media and elites have never really been American valued people. Schools throw out American culture and welcome it from other countries. Judges make unjust and illogical decisions, and overstep their bounds in running the country (they don't make procedure, they should only enforce already committed law). Commerce has been colluding against the population for decades... Time for us to take the USA back from those that appear to want to see it bankrupt and fail...

I appreciate your reminder to all of us that even when we have different opinions on issues, we are all still Americans. We served in the military to allow us to have these discussions. I am interested, though as to why so many Veterans like the President when he was a draft dodger.

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News from the World of Military and Veterans Issues. Iraq and A-Stan in parenthesis reflects that the author is currently deployed to that theater.